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Metro.co.uk: News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities from MetroTue, 31 Mar 2015 20:54:53 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/72ba1fb4e57339685f67d1d89b3db216?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png » Christopher Hooton for Metro.co.uk | Metro UKhttp://metro.co.uk
8 of the most rousing movie speeches in film historyhttp://metro.co.uk/2014/01/15/8-of-the-most-rousing-movie-speeches-in-film-history-4237994/
http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/15/8-of-the-most-rousing-movie-speeches-in-film-history-4237994/#commentsWed, 15 Jan 2014 08:14:15 +0000http://metro.co.uk/?p=4237994]]>New Year’s resolutions can be hard to keep, especially when food is so DAMN TASTY and going to the gym is very much not lying on your bed watching Friends re-runs, but allow these inspiring movie speeches from the likes of Al Pacino, Morgan Freeman and more to give you a kick up the backside as we head deep into Ban-uary.

1. Braveheart – ‘They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!’

We start with one of the best known movie speeches, which sees Mel Gibson’s William Wallace whirl up his fellow Scots in patriotic fervour.

If it can make a man fight and die for his country, it ought to be able to get you to cut out the Party Rings.

2. Network - ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’

Peter Finch won the Oscar for best actor thanks to this 1976 film, which saw him play a disillusioned news anchor who breaks the fourth wall and unites the nation in a rallying cry against recession.

3. Any Given Sunday – ‘We claw with our fingernails for that inch!’

OK so as with most fourth quarter football speeches this one strays towards self-parody by the end, but admit it, part of you wants to yell ‘yeah, coach!’ and chest bump the person next to you.

If there were genres of inspiring film speeches, this would be a mellow one that strums a guitar. Morgan Freeman’s Red ditches hyperbole and bellowing with a softly-spoken monologue that evokes the wonder of nature, the power of starting afresh and reinforces the need to experience the world’s fruits before it’s too late.

5. Milk - ‘My name is Harvey Milk and I’m here to recruit you!’

In the face of very probable assassination, gay rights activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) takes the podium at a San Francisco rally and gives an impassioned plea for all gay people to come out.

6. Good Will Hunting – ‘If I asked you about art I bet you could give me the skinny on every art book ever written…but I bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel.’

After weeks of wrangling with a precocious but stubborn young patient, Robin Williams’ psychiatrist Sean manages to disarm Matt Damon’s Will with the epiphany that he is ‘just a kid’.

A profound reminder that knowledge does not equal wisdom.

7. Independence Day - ‘We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight!’

‘Enough with all the worthy Oscar bait, where are all the alien invasions at?!’ I hear you cry.

Nothing quite beats the overblown ridiculousness of the President of the United States of America delivering a speech through a hailing system from the roof of a fighter jet.

Unsurprisingly the humans did win the day, largely thanks to Will Smith punching an extra-terrestrial in the face.

8. Gladiator - ‘My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.’

If there’s a motive behind a rousing movie speech stronger than winning the Super Bowl, stoking rebellion or instigating social change, it’s the ol’ ‘avenging the death of my family’ variety.

Russell Crowe sends spines a’tingling at the climax of Gladiator, revealing his true identity, listing the emperor’s crimes and essentially challenging him to duke it out. Powerful stuff.

WWE has announced a subscription-based video streaming channel, offering all the slobberknockin’ you can eat for a monthly fee of $10.

WWE Network will provide access to the normally pretty costly pay-per-view matches, along with other programmes and a vast vault of old matches and PPVs, including those from the WCW and ECW promotions.

The switch to a Netflix or Hulu-style service is a bold move for the WWE, though they have shown they are keen to embrace online with their rampant promotion of the company’s social media in recent months.

The network was announced by long-serving WWE chairman Vince McMahon, with a six-month contract set to cost $9.99 and include a live daily show, pre and post-RAW and SmackDown shows and up-and-coming wrestlers vehicle NXT.

WWE Network will be available on Kindle Fire, Android, iOS, Roku, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 from February 24, before being rolled out worldwide to the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Nordic nations by the end of 2014.

Charlie Brooker has promised more Black Mirror, saying that two ‘helpings’ of the Channel 4 drama are on the way.

The Weekly Wipe host said he couldn’t be specific on details, but intimated that there would be another two dark and dystopian stories, though the show has previously come in threes.

‘There will be more – I don’t think I’m allowed to say quite when,’ Brooker told Lauren Laverne on her BBC Radio 6Music show).

‘There’s going to be some and then there’s going to be some more – you’ll get one helping and then there’ll be another helping.’

Charlie Brooker currently presents Weekly Wipe (Picture: BBC)

Robert Downey Jr purchased the rights to 2011 episode The Entire History of You last year, but Brooker said he remains in the dark over RDJ’s plans for it.

‘I’m not really involved in that – that was Jesse Armstrong’s episode,’ he added. ‘People always mention that, like I’m now best mates with Robert Downey Jr. I’ve never met him!’

Brooker said he was ‘not adverse’ to further film adaptations though, explaining: ‘We’ve had all sorts of conversations along those lines. ‘They’re high-concept ideas and that’s the sort of thing that lends itself to being remade as a film.’

Unfortunately you can’t press X to make him talk faster (Picture: bruno22)

Still feeling nostalgic about the PlayStation 1 and N64 days? This guy could be the casual acquaintance for you, who spends every day looking like he’s about to unleash a fiery spin kick.

Everything about him screams old gen gaming, from the block-like muscle definition to his shock of jet black hair and arcade fighting game-esque tank top.

The screen grab posted to Reddit comes from Karl Pilkington’s The Moaning of Life series, and the reason for the man’s wipe-clean appearance is that he is addicted to looking like a doll. But still, I bet he can open a door by thinking ‘B’ like nobody’s business.

Wild Beasts are back with new single Wanderlust, which will feature on their upcoming fourth album Present Tense to be released on February 24.

The new tracks suggests a change not so much of direction as of attack for the band, with pared down bass and snare battering a purring synth line as Hayden Thorpe’s vocals hover above like a searchlight.

Wanderlust will appear on the follow-up to 2011’s Smother entitled Present Tense, which the band said will be ‘more melodic and pop than before’.

Wild Beasts decided not to work with their usual producer Richard Formby on the album, instead turning to Lexxx (Bjork) and Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins).

‘I guess when I was 17 I thought I was Nick Drake. Now I’m 28, I think I’m J Dilla. Neither of those is true, you need to be reined in,’ co-frontman Tom Fleming said of the influence of the new producers.

Thorpe added that the band had considered ditching guitars altogether in favour of a more electronic sound.

‘We were very aware that it’s easy to sound polished with electronics,’ he said. ‘Our intuition when we get a guitar is to detune it; that’s what Lexxx does with electronics. ‘

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/wild-beasts-return-with-new-music-video-for-single-wanderlust-4254406/feed/0wild beastsSarah Jessica Parker hints at Sex and the City 3: There is one last chapter to tellhttp://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/sarah-jessica-parker-hints-at-sex-and-the-city-3-there-is-one-last-chapter-to-tell-4254188/
http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/sarah-jessica-parker-hints-at-sex-and-the-city-3-there-is-one-last-chapter-to-tell-4254188/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 10:19:27 +0000http://metro.co.uk/?p=4254188]]>

Sex and the City 2 took $305 million at the box office (Picture: New Line Cinema)

Sarah Jessica Parker has threatened another Sex and the City film, suggesting there are still more things and men for the girls to do.

The actress teased a possible reunion in an interview with InStyle, which comes in spite of the critical panning received by the ‘borderline racist’ Sex and the City 2.

‘A part of me thinks there is one last chapter to tell,’ she said.

‘But timing is a peculiar thing. It isn’t a decision that can wait forever. I don’t want to have to wear muumuus!’

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/sarah-jessica-parker-hints-at-sex-and-the-city-3-there-is-one-last-chapter-to-tell-4254188/feed/0FILM: SEX AND THE CITY 2KIM CATTRALL as Samantha Jones, SARASex and the City 2 took $305 million at the box office (Picture: New Line Cinema)Muppets Most Wanted trailer mocks the whole using tweets as reviews thinghttp://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/muppets-most-wanted-trailer-mocks-the-whole-using-tweets-as-reviews-thing-4254123/
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Twitter reviews have been creeping onto film posters and trailers more and more recently, and fortunately Muppets Most Wanted is here to call bullsh*t on it.

The sequel’s latest trailer quotes made up users like ‘@YOLOFANTASTIC’ and ‘@PoppaFreshness’, who offer up poetic criticisms like ‘I’ll prolly go see this, it looks cool.’

This isn’t to say that the audience’s opinions aren’t valid and that only the word of the film critic is gospel, just that plastering things like ‘squeeeee! ;)’ on the side of a bus is pretty ridiculous.

The franchise has a history of mocking both itself and Hollywood as a whole, previously spoofing The Hangover 2 and the Green Lantern in its trailers.

Muppets Most Wanted is due to open in UK cinemas on March 28 and sees Ricky Gervais take over from Jason Segel and Amy Adams as the Muppets’ human aide, with Tina Fey arriving as a new villain.

Archer is to see a ‘radical departure’ in season 5, with Sterling Archer and his fellow ISIS spies being booted out of espionage and forced to sell cocaine in Columbia.

The cartoon has been going from strength to strength with ratings in the US growing each season, but creator Adam Reed has decided to ‘change everything’ in the new season simply because he ‘got bored’.

‘So what’s happening is you’re going to see in the very first episode of this season that all these years that Malory’s in control of ISIS, and they’ve been doing all these covert operations — kind of like the CIA or whatever — that that was never legal. She was just contracting out this stuff, kind of like Black Water or whatever, and in the first episode of the season the government comes in and shuts them down, throws them all in jail. Like, “What the f*ck you guys doing? You’re not allowed to do this. Stop doing this immediately. You’re assassinating people. You’re all going to jail.’

‘Some things happen and they eventually get out of jail but it’s with the understanding that they can never go back to ISIS headquarters. That’s been confiscated. They can never be spies again. So they don’t know, they’re like, “Oh sh*t what are we going to do?” And that’s what happens at the very end of episode one. They realize from their various operations — for whatever reason — they have one ton of cocaine and they decide that they’re going to sell it. They’re just going to sell a ton of cocaine and everybody’s going to become a multi-millionaire and retire. Easy peasy.’

Thompson added that the changes to the cartoon, which usually sees Archer and his reluctant colleagues bungle the foiling of assassination plots and takedown of despots, was partly inspired by Breaking Bad.

‘I think it’s a little bit of Breaking Bad and a little bit of us just trying to keep the same relationships that we have,’ he said. ‘Which is still basically the same characters with the same relationships. Except Malory kind of becomes untethered because she’s no longer necessarily theboss. They’re all kind of in this together as drug partners. And then it’s just seeing what happens as they try and sell this literal one ton of cocaine.’

Archer season 5 begins on FX in the US on January 13, with a UK air date yet to be confirmed.

Gravity looks set to clean up this award season (Picture: Warner Bros)

Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity leads the Bafta nominations for 2014, being honoured in 12 categories while American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave both receive 10 nods.

The trio of films will do battle with Captain Phillips and Philomena for the best film award, the latter flying the flag for British cinema.

Last year’s Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence misses out on a leading actress nomination for American Hustle, it instead going to her co-star Amy Adams who faces competition from Cate Blanchett, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench and Sandra Bullock for the award.

Amy Adams was the Bafta panel’s pick for leading actress (Picture: Columbia)

Helen McCrory and Luke Evans announced this year’s EE British Academy Film Awards nominations this morning, with the ceremony set to take place on Sunday February 16 broadcast live by the BBC and once again hosted by Stephen Fry.

Away from the headline-grabbing films, the best documentary category looks to be hotly-contested this year, with SeaWorld expose Blackfish taking on Joshua Oppenheimer’s remarkable The Act of Killing and Alex Gibney’s Lance Armstrong and Wikileaks documentaries.

12 Years a Slave’s release has not been without controversy (Picture: Fox Searchlight)

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
DANE DEHAAN
GEORGE MACKAY
LUPITA NYONG’O
WILL POULTER
LÉA SEYDOUX

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/gravity-gets-11-nods-at-baftas-2014-nominations-in-full-4254048/feed/0Georg Clooney in Gravity trailer (Picture: Warner Bros)Georg Clooney in Gravity trailer (Picture: Warner Bros)Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence) & Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) in the Grand Old AC Hotel powder room in Columbia Pictures' AMERICAN HUSTLE.12 Years a Slave is tipped for Oscars success (Picture: Fox Searchlight)Queens of the Stone Age to record new album this year: ‘We have more than enough songs’http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/07/queens-of-the-stone-age-to-record-new-album-this-year-we-have-more-than-enough-songs-4253002/
http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/07/queens-of-the-stone-age-to-record-new-album-this-year-we-have-more-than-enough-songs-4253002/#commentsTue, 07 Jan 2014 13:11:45 +0000http://metro.co.uk/?p=4253002]]>

Queens Of The Stone Age will spend most of 2014 on tour (Picture: File)

Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has vowed that the band will get back in the studio before 2014 is out to record the follow-up to …Like Clockwork.

Homme says the band have ‘more than enough songs’ for a new album, despite releasing their last just a few months ago.

Asked by Rolling Stone if fans could expect a new LP soon, he replied: ‘Absolutely. We have more than enough songs. We’re booked ’til September, but after that we plan to jump in the studio and get going.’

He also said that the secret to a successful recording session isn’t being a control freak but relinquishing some control.

‘When it’s time to make music, that’s about getting lost for me,’ he explained. ‘To be a control freak is not half as good as being a freak who’s casually in control. You’re feeling around in the dark for something that feels good. As long as you’re not in an orgy, that can be an amazing moment.’

…Like Clockwork was a critical and commercial hit for the band in 2013, reaching No. 2 in the UK album chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard 200.

Later in the year, Homme will make a guest appearance in hipster-lampooning sketch show Portlandia.

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/07/queens-of-the-stone-age-to-record-new-album-this-year-we-have-more-than-enough-songs-4253002/feed/0Queens Of The Stone Age didn't enjoy being used as a marketing tool (Picture: File)Queens Of The Stone AgeHere are those Mountain Dew-flavoured Cheetos you wantedhttp://metro.co.uk/2014/01/07/here-are-those-mountain-dew-flavoured-cheetos-you-wanted-4252686/
http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/07/here-are-those-mountain-dew-flavoured-cheetos-you-wanted-4252686/#commentsTue, 07 Jan 2014 11:38:04 +0000http://metro.co.uk/?p=4252686]]>

Mountain Dew Cheetos are currently only available in Japan (Picture: JBox.com)

Ever been enjoying a packet of Cheetos and thought ‘Boy, all this soda drinking is slowing me down, if only I could get the great taste of Mountain Dew while continuing to shovel cheesy corn puffs into my mouth?’ Well, your weird food predilections have been catered for.

This latest experiment will truly have your tongue doing backflips however, as the product blurb explains: ‘Everyone loves Cheetos, the crunchy cheezy treat that you have to lick your fingers to savor every flavor, but this new amazing flavor infuses American Mountain Dew with the crunchy Cheetos snack.’

Given Mountain Dew is the long haul trucker’s choice and Cheetos you probably remember from your Lunchables days it’s not quite clear what demographic this new snack is for, thought it is currently only on sale in Japan.

The product descriptions claims it is for ‘those who dare to live dangerously’, that is, until Fanta-flavoured Twiglets come along to threaten mankind.

A new website could put an end to your endlessly scrolling for something to watch on Netflix problems, by taking on the valiant task of selecting you a Nicolas Cage film at random.

Nicolascageroulette.com picks a film from the actor’s diverse oeuvre at random and streams it through your account, with every spin yielding Cage gold.

There is even the option of filtering by ‘Action Movies’ and ‘All Movies’, depending on whether you’re in tune-in-and-pass-out Face/Off mode or more of a mind-bending, reality-challenging Adaptation frame of mind.

The website, designed by Scott Luptowski, was inspired by the now defunct Cage Your Queue, which automatically added the actor’s whole filmography to your Netflix queue.

There is a particularly abundant choice for UK users, including the eminently quotable The Wicker Man and utterly unhinged Vampire’s Kiss (as demonstrated below).

The artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg, occasionally known as Snoop Lion and seldom known as Snoopzilla has unveiled the music video for his track Get Away.

Lifted from his most recent album Reincarnated, it is a collaboration with Major Lazer and sees Snoop fight in a Game Boy Color era Pokemon-esque battle, before emulating various other classic old games.

Netflix has released the first trailer for House of Cards season 2, seeing Frank Underwood finally get Washington DC in a chokehold.

It’s all stern glances, desk-banging ultimatums and people shouting things like ‘I feel like i’m losing control of my own goddamn administration!’ when the gripping Netflix original returns next month, as hungry reporter Zoe Barns (Kate Mara) closes in on the truth about Underwood’s (Kevin Spacey) manipulations and misdeeds.

In the second season, Francis and Claire Underwood continue their ruthless rise to power as threats mount on all fronts. Zoe Barnes, an up-and-coming reporter and Francis’s former paramour, is inching closer to the truth about his crimes. President Walker’s billionaire confidante Raymond Tusk demands that Francis reciprocate political favors or face retribution. And Claire must confront the increasing glare of the spotlight as it eats away at her and Francis’s once private existence. The Underwood’s must overcome these dangers — past and present — to avoid losing everything, regardless of collateral damage they leave in their wake.

This was backed up by a statement on Boosh fansite The Velvet Onion, which read: ‘As of today, there are no confirmed live dates. There’s no confirmed movie details. There’s no plans for the television series to return. The album release remains in limbo.’

Fielding had allegedly told the Mail on Sunday: ‘We’re going on tour early in the New Year,’ with Barratt adding: ‘We’ll be working on material that hopefully could make a movie. We want to make something great for the fans.’

The Mighty Boosh became a huge cult hit through its BBC series and subsequent live show in the mid-2000s before going on hiatus, with Fielding appearing on shows like Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Big Fat Quiz Of The Year in the years following.

Film or no film, Fielding has spoken of his desire to make one before, previously telling XFM: ‘A film is the first thing we ever wanted to do, so we’ve always come up with ideas and stuck them in a drawer. Now comedy films like Shaun of the Dead have really opened a lot of doors.

‘We wanna make something pretty epic like The Wizard of Oz; something huge and psychedelic with lots of music and animation in it – a big epic fantasy world.’

The great PR god in the sky hath declared today ‘the most depressing day of the year’ due to the return to work, a serious jolt in your sleeping pattern and other spurious seasonal factors.

If your Monday blues are taking a particularly dark shade, this video might just be the remedy.

In it, musician William Close plays a contraption he calls the Earth Harp – the longest stringed instrument in the world with strings that stretch up to 1000 feet in length.

He played the harp for revellers at Burning Man festival in 2012, a week-long event celebration of art, community and self-sufficiency that takes place annually in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.

The impromptu concert came early in the morning just as the sun was rising, gently plucking onlookers from their slumber and preparing them for the ceremonial burning of the temple on which Close stands later in the day.

As is tradition, the harp along with all of the other instruments, structures, people and litter at the festival were packed off at it’s close, leaving not so much as a mark on the white sand.

Old Spice is a brand that knows its way around a viral commercial, but its latest effort ‘Momsong’ might be its best yet.

First there was the original ‘Old Spice Man’, then the manic exploits of Terry Crews, and now the most surreal bid yet to shift body spray.

The advert centres on mothers abandoned by their sons (who have suddenly become woman magnets after changing their brand of deoderant, obviously), stalking their offspring in increasingly weird ways.

(Picture: Old Spice/YouTube)

One mum is seen buried in sand and yet ploughing through the earth’s crust, while another impersonates a cleaner and a third simply falls from the sky in macabre fashion before bursting into a violin solo.

Declared ‘mildly terrifying’ by one viewer, the clip has attracted more than a million YouTube views in its first week.

Occasionally sassy iOS assistant Siri has voiced its opinion on Spike Jonze’s Her, a film about a man who falls in love with a computer.

Comparisons between the film’s Scarlett Johansson-voiced, sultry, super-intelligent smartphone and the iPhone/iPad aide were always going to be made, with the film exploring how our lives will change as technology gets better at replicating human life and interactions.

Apple got wind of it, it would seem, programming Siri to talk trash on its filmc rival.

‘Sir, are you Her?’ gets the response ‘No, I don’t spend much time with purely fictional characters’, while requesting an opinion on Joaquin Phoenix’s protagonist Theodore Twombly gets a curt: ‘I’d rather not say.’

Admittedly the Her gimmick works better with the female-voiced American Siri, with the UK version featuring the sonorous tones of a man who sounds like his diet is 95% fine scotch.

Her has been making waves in the US, though a release date on this side of the Atlantic has yet to be confirmed.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar is also set to perform, joined by Imagine Dragons, Pink will reunite with fun.’s Nate Reuss and there will be a ‘special Grammy moment’ with country stars Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Blake Shelton.

The Grammys take place on January 26 and air on CBS in the US.

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/06/daft-punk-to-perform-with-stevie-wonder-at-grammys-2014-4250858/feed/0Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Daft PunkDaft Punk are set for a 'celebratory and collaborative' performance (Picture: AP)More than $1 million worth of marijuana sold in Colorado on first day of legalisationhttp://metro.co.uk/2014/01/03/more-than-1-million-worth-of-marijuana-sold-in-colorado-on-first-day-of-legalisation-4248886/
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A long line of buyers trails from a store selling marijuana in Pueblo West, Colorado (Picture: AP)

Cannabis shop owners in Colorado believe they have shifted more than $1 million worth of the drug just a day after it was legalised in the state.

Supporters counted down the seconds and critics furrowed brows as pot was cleared for recreational use on Wednesday, with no-one really knowing what kind of demand to expect.

Fierce winter weather didn’t seem to slow down customers at the first legal pot shops however, with NBC 9 News reporting that sales have already topped $1 million.

A marijuana store owner celebrates just before opening her doors to customers for the first time in Northglenn, Colorado (Picture: Reuters)

Snow fell on long queues at the stores, but as one deliveryman who drove from Michigan for the opening said: ‘This wait is nothing.

‘It’s a huge deal for me to be part of the legal weed experiment,’ he added.

The world was watching as the state launched the new system – the world’s first fully legal cannabis industry – which requires no doctor’s note as with 18 other US states.

An employee brings out a display of drug-infused candies at the Botana Care marijuana store (Picture: Reuters)

So far 24 pot shops have been opened, most of them in Denver, with everything apparently going without a hitch bar a few shoppers cited for smoking in public.

‘Everything’s gone pretty smoothly,’ said Barbara Brohl, Colorado’s top marijuana regulator as head of the Department of Revenue.

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/03/more-than-1-million-worth-of-marijuana-sold-in-colorado-on-first-day-of-legalisation-4248886/feed/0Christopher Hooton for Metro.co.ukChristopher Hooton for Metro.co.ukCheri Hackett, (C) co-owner of the Botana Care marijuana store celebrates just before opening her doors to customers for the first time in Northglenn, Colorado January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Rick Wilking Rick Wilking/ReutersAn employee brings out a display of drug-infused candies at the Botana Care marijuana store just before opening the doors to customers for the first time in Northglenn, Colorado January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Rick Wilking Rick Wilking/ReutersLeonardo DiCaprio defends The Wolf of Wall Street: We’re not condoning this behaviourhttp://metro.co.uk/2013/12/31/leonardo-dicaprio-defends-the-wolf-of-wall-street-were-not-condoning-this-behaviour-4246063/
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Leonardo DiCaprio is swimming in money in the Wolf of Wall Street (Picture: YouTube)

Leonardo DiCaprio has leapt to the defence of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, insisting it is a cautionary tale that indicts the behaviour it portrays rather than condoning it.

The auteur’s latest film has attracted much criticism already, with Scorsese reportedly having been heckled following a screening of the film at the Academy with one screenwriter telling him: ‘Shame on you. Disgusting.’

DiCaprio advised people to ‘sit through it’ however, telling Variety in an upcoming interview: ‘I hope people understand we’re not condoning this behaviour, that we’re indicting it. The book was a cautionary tale, and if you sit through the film, you’ll realise what we’re saying about these people and this world, because it’s an intoxicating one.’

The actor also praised Scorsese for making movies which are ‘vital and talked about, and have an element of controversy about them’ and said it was one of only two films he had been passionate about making (along with The Aviator).

The Wolf of Wall Street tells the true story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who made millions fraudulently and led a debauched lifestyle with it.

Agent Vivienne Clore confirmed Fortune’s death, saying in a statement: ‘It is with great sadness that I write of the death of John Fortune this morning aged 74.

‘He died peacefully with his wife, Emma and dog Grizelle, at his bedside.

‘A renowned satirist, early work included contributions to Peter Cook’s Establishment club and more latterly his work with long term collaborator, John Bird and Rory Bremner.

‘He is survived by his adored wife, Emma and three children.’

Fortune also worked as an actor, appearing in films such as The Tailor Of Panama, Calendar Girls and Match Point.

]]>http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/31/rory-bremner-pays-tribute-to-fearless-satirist-john-fortune-4246036/feed/0AD_123659181.jpgFile photo dated 18/03/03 of John Fortune, the comedian made famous on Bremner, Bird and Fortune, who has died at the age of 74. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday December 31, 2013. See PA story DEATH Fortune. Photo credit should read: Myung Jung Kim/PA WireFile photo dated 02/10/02 of Rory Bremner with John Bird (left) and John Fortune (right) as John Fortune, the comedian made famous on Bremner, Bird and Fortune, has died at the age of 74. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday December 31, 2013. See PA story DEATH Fortune. Photo credit should read: Chris Young/PA WireChildren terrorised by porn magazine in Christian found footage horror moviehttp://metro.co.uk/2013/12/31/children-terrorised-by-porn-magazine-in-christian-found-footage-horror-movie-4245747/
http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/31/children-terrorised-by-porn-magazine-in-christian-found-footage-horror-movie-4245747/#commentsTue, 31 Dec 2013 09:57:19 +0000http://metro.co.uk/?p=4245747]]>

The first trailer for The Lock In has been released, a film from Christian production company Holy Moly Pictures which sees teens ‘terrorised by demon activity’ after a ‘dirty magazine’ reaches their church.

All the familiar found footage movie tropes are there in The Lock In – possessed children, a handheld camera lying on its side while filming, fuzzy footage and night vision wanders in the dark – only the source of evil is very different.

The film shuns voodoo and the occult for a more morally instructive villain: pornography.

‘Imagine your life being torn apart and the very wiring of your brain being changed by a seemingly innocent prank,’ the official synopsis reads.

As if demons weren’t scary enough, the plot also confirms the existence of church ‘lock-ins’.

The Lock In comes in response to a ‘pornography epidemic’ (Picture: Holy Moly Pictures)

‘This is what happens when three teenage boys are terrorized by demon activity after a “dirty magazine” is snuck into an overnight church event called a lock in,’ it continues.

‘During the lock in, members of the youth group are “locked in” the church to have fun, play games, and get to know one another. In spite of the youth pastor’s attempt to intervene, the boys must come to terms with the pornographic images themselves in order to be truly freed from the demon.’

The film, to be distributed direct through TheLockInMovie.com, has been made to combat what Holy Moly Pictures sees as a ‘pornography epidemic.’

‘Movies have always been a good medium to highlight social issues,’ it continues. ‘Pornography is a growing epidemic in the church community for men, women, and children with most of the underage victims being exposed in a place thought to be safe.

‘The producers of the film hope that not only will it be entertaining, it will also be used as a tool for conversations about the dangers of pornography and the importance of being aware.’

Beyonce has defended the decision to use an audio sample from the Space Shuttle Challenger mission which saw seven astronauts lose their lives in her new single XO.

‘Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation – Obviously, a major malfunction,’ the song begins, a statement made by a public affairs officer at the time of the accident in 1986.

Beyonce defended the intro but stopped short of an apology, telling ABC News: ‘The songwriters included the audio in tribute to the unselfish work of the Challenger crew with hope that they will never be forgotten.

‘My heart goes out to the families of those lost in the Challenger disaster.

The song ‘XO’ was recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you.’

If XO is a tribute to astronauts who have fallen it is certainly a subtle one, with the music video seeing her dance around at a fairground and ride the dodgems.

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the space craft broke apart just seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of seven crew members.

NASA accused Beyonce of ‘trivialising’ the tragedy, with spokesman Allard Beutel saying in a statement: ‘The Challenger accident is an important part of our history; a tragic reminder that space exploration is risky and should never be trivialised.

‘NASA works everyday to honor the legacy of our fallen astronauts as we carry out our mission to reach for new heights and explore the universe.’